[dancing mantis]

Well, I've been messing around with my guitar for 20+ years but have rarely played in front of people. I've always wanted to perform, but I've never felt ready. I play acoustic, and sing, but my voice is often very tentative due to nervousness and self-doubt. I've given up several times, thinking that I'll never be any good, but I always come back to it. Can't seem to let it go. So my life kind of fell apart about a year and a half ago, and one of the things that got me through the dark times was playing.

Anyways, I've been working hard at some stuff, and I have tested it out on some relatives and friends who have given me much positive feedback and encouragement. So this afternoon I'm playing for a group of people. It's actually my support group - I suffer from major depression - and so I know that they will be supportive, and yet still I am so nervous. But I know I am prepared so I am looking forward to it. I just hope my voice stays strong. I probably won't get to all these songs but here's my set list:

Touch of Grey
Bright Side of the Road
Easy to Slip
Over the Rainbow (fingerstyle arrangement by Mark Hanson)
Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World (Israel Kamakawiwo'ole version)
Come Out, Come Out (fingerstyle, Mark Hanson)
It Really Was No Miracle (fingerstyle, Mark Hanson)
Liberty
Waiting for a Miracle
I Can See Clearly Now
Tangled Up in Blue
Runnin' Down a Dream
I'll Take a Melody
That's Life
Three Little Birds
Sitting Here in Limbo
Werewolves of London
Ding Dong the Witch is Dead (fingerstyle, Mark Hanson)
Not Fade Away
If I Only Had a Brain (fingerstyle, Mark Hanson)

Many thanks to ebick, and all the good folks here from whom I have learned so much! Also thanks to JDarks! Wish me luck!

[confusions_prince]

Good licks... I mean luck

[LazyLightnin]

i used to be pretty nervous about that stuff too. I realized later that i wasnt having so much fun because of it. you just gotta do it man, strike the hammer while iron is hot kinda thing. Now i cant get enough of being on stage and i just laugh off mistakes.channel that extra adrenaline to your playing and singing. playing in front of a crowd is the most exhilirating thing i can think of.

[Shaggy]

Best of luck.

Nice set-list.

[tigerstrat]

Great setlist; That's Life would work well as a closer too!

F-ups are inevitable- it's how well you handle them that will leave the biggest impression. You just have to adhere to the old rule of theater: the show must go on! You have to keep focusing of what's immediately next, not what just happened. The faster you forget about a mistake that has occurred, the faster the audience will. And it's precisely that keeping of composure that will win you your next cheer.

[ebick]

Rock on, dude.

[strumminsix]

Cool list! Break a leg! Tell us how it goes!

[b weird]

Best of luck friend. I hope everything go's well.

[bobbybobbob]

WARNING:
After you play this "gig," you will be hooked. You will find yourself wanting to play more and more for people, until you eventually find yourself in a coffeeshop or something playing for the public.

Congratulations on working up the courage, this is a big achievement. Good luck friend!

[chubbypony]

tonight i also played the most amazing gig of my life. my town has a huge carnival that in the middle of it all has a band playing. tonite we had a 90minute set from 830-10. It was awesome, when we walked out on the stage i about shit down both legs, as a teenager im used to playing local halls and stuff with about 200-300 people at most. i look out and see maybe 1500 drunk people, several of which i know. i brought the house down. my favorite part of the show was the final song, free bird. it was requested 100 times during the show by drunk fans. it was also the first time my dad saw me play which was awesome. im like floating now, this is by far the most amazing moment of my life

[dancing mantis]

Thank you all SO MUCH! I had a chance to see most of your posts before I headed out to play. The performance went really well. Tigerstrat your advice was spot on. I already sort of knew that, but it was a great reminder, and that is exactly what happened. I had several major f-ups, but I just kept going and it all worked out. I remember reading somewhere that in almost all cases, an audience wants the performer to do well, they are rooting for him/her. Anyways, the best part was that after initial jitters my voice lost its tentativeness and I really sang out. Someone who has heard me struggle with my tentative singing even commented that I really projected well. I only got to do about half of my songs, but they all recieved strong applause. The best one that I did was definitely I'll Take a Melody.

There was also a woman who read some of her poetry. At the end people wanted to know if we were going to do it again, so we decided to try it next month.

This was a HUGE step for me. I have always had seroius problems with anxiety and self-doubt, so hooray for me!

Thanks again everyone. You guys are great and this is just the best place to be. I have learned so much. Be well all, and rock on.

[jackaroe1276]

Hey Mantis, congrats! Glad to hear you did well and had a good time. I can relate a bit, I thankfully don't have too many issues with depression at the moment, but self doubt and fear certainly tend to creep up on me strong sometimes. Ironically this site has really helped me out with that and hopefully my first gig will be sooner than later. I'm really happy you had a chance to get over that hump, I know how hard it can be.

[hobbsy]

Well, I've been messing around with my guitar for 20+ years but have rarely played in front of people. I've always wanted to perform, but I've never felt ready. I play acoustic, and sing, but my voice is often very tentative due to nervousness and self-doubt. I've given up several times, thinking that I'll never be any good, but I always come back to it. Can't seem to let it go. So my life kind of fell apart about a year and a half ago, and one of the things that got me through the dark times was playing.

Anyways, I've been working hard at some stuff, and I have tested it out on some relatives and friends who have given me much positive feedback and encouragement. So this afternoon I'm playing for a group of people. It's actually my support group - I suffer from major depression - and so I know that they will be supportive, and yet still I am so nervous. But I know I am prepared so I am looking forward to it. I just hope my voice stays strong. I probably won't get to all these songs but here's my set list:

Touch of Grey
Bright Side of the Road
Easy to Slip
Over the Rainbow (fingerstyle arrangement by Mark Hanson)
Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World (Israel Kamakawiwo'ole version)
Come Out, Come Out (fingerstyle, Mark Hanson)
It Really Was No Miracle (fingerstyle, Mark Hanson)
Liberty
Waiting for a Miracle
I Can See Clearly Now
Tangled Up in Blue
Runnin' Down a Dream
I'll Take a Melody
That's Life
Three Little Birds
Sitting Here in Limbo
Werewolves of London
Ding Dong the Witch is Dead (fingerstyle, Mark Hanson)
Not Fade Away
If I Only Had a Brain (fingerstyle, Mark Hanson)

Many thanks to ebick, and all the good folks here from whom I have learned so much! Also thanks to JDarks! Wish me luck!

Congrat's on your success! By the way, have you ever heard the Flaming Lips do "Over the Rainbow?" It's fantastic, saxaphone solo and all, It was just on Austin City Limits if that's available to you. Congrat's again, that must've been an incredible obstacle for you.

[bodiddley]

Congrats, I am stifled by many of those same issues at times...mostly self doubt. I hope it doesn't take me 20 years to get there. Now if my playing didn't suck and I could actually sing...